Ex Machina Review: Brian K. Vaughan’s Political Sci-Fi
Brian K. Vaughan's smart "superhero becomes mayor" political drama.
By Web Admin
Here’s a pitch that sounds like a gimmick and turns out to be one of the smartest comics of the 2000s: the world’s first and only superhero gives up the mask, runs for office, and gets elected Mayor of New York City. That’s Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris — a book that uses its high concept as a way into real, thorny stories about power, politics, and public life.
Best of all, it’s complete. Fifty issues, a proper beginning, middle and end, all collected and waiting. Here’s our full review of one of the most underrated finished series in modern comics.
What is Ex Machina?
Ex Machina ran for 50 issues (plus a few specials) from 2004 to 2010, published under DC’s WildStorm imprint. It was written by Brian K. Vaughan — the same writer behind Saga and Y: The Last Man — with detailed, photo-referenced art by Tony Harris and colors by JD Mettler. It won the Eisner Award for Best New Series in 2005, and it’s now fully collected, so you can read the whole thing start to finish.
The lead is Mitchell Hundred, a New York civil engineer who, after an accident involving a strange device, gains the power to hear and command machines — traffic lights, guns, phones, anything mechanical. He becomes the Great Machine, the world’s first real superhero. It doesn’t go especially well.
The story: two timelines, one city
The book braids two threads. In the “present” (starting in the wake of the 2001 mayoral race), Hundred has hung up the jetpack and won election as Mayor of New York, and each arc follows a genuine governing crisis — snow removal, a controversial art exhibit, gay marriage, a serial killer, a labor dispute. In flashback, we see his short, messy career as the Great Machine and the mystery of where his powers actually came from. Vaughan cross-cuts the two so that the superhero mystery and the political drama comment on each other.
Why the “mayor” angle works
Plenty of comics ask what a superhero would do in the real world. Ex Machina is one of the few that takes governance seriously as its subject. The action isn’t punching; it’s negotiation, press management, budget fights, and the constant compromise of trying to actually help people within a broken system. Hundred is a moderate idealist who keeps discovering that good intentions and real power make an uneasy pair. It’s talky in the best way — think a prestige political drama with an sci-fi engine underneath.
A note on 9/11
The series is rooted in a specific, sensitive piece of alternate history: in this world, Mitchell Hundred used his powers to save the second tower on September 11, 2001, an act that made him a hero and propelled him into office. Vaughan handles it soberly rather than for shock, but readers should know the real tragedy is woven directly into the premise. It’s central to the book, not a throwaway.
The supporting cast
Vaughan populates City Hall with a small, sharply drawn ensemble that carries much of the drama. There’s Dave Wylie, Hundred’s blunt, loyal chief of staff and moral sounding board; Rick Bradbury, his fiercely protective ex-Marine bodyguard; Candy Watts, the pragmatic deputy mayor who keeps the machine running; and Kremlin, the aging Russian mentor who built the Great Machine’s gear and never wanted Hundred to give up the mask. The tension between the people who loved him as a hero and the people who need him to be a politician is one of the series’ quiet engines, and it means the flashbacks and the present-day scenes are always in conversation. Few superhero books bother to make the hero’s staff meetings this compelling.
The mystery underneath
Running beneath the governing-crisis-of-the-month structure is a slow-burn science-fiction mystery: where did Hundred’s powers actually come from, what is the strange device that gave them to him, and why does he keep hearing a voice no one else can? Vaughan doles out clues patiently across all fifty issues, and part of the book’s craft is how it withholds — you spend most of the run assuming it’s a grounded political drama with a sci-fi coat of paint, only to have the genre reassert itself. Whether the payoff satisfies is the series’ most-debated question. We think it fits the book’s themes about power and consequence, even if it trades neat resolution for something stranger and sadder.
The art: Tony Harris grounds the fantasy
Tony Harris’s grounded, heavily referenced style is exactly right for a book about the unglamorous machinery of city government. His faces are expressive and specific, his New York feels real, and his design of the Great Machine — a retro-futurist jetpack-and-goggles look — splits the difference between pulp adventure and something a working engineer might actually build. It’s a handsome, restrained book that trusts talking-heads scenes to carry weight.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A complete, satisfying 50-issue story — no dangling threads
- Genuinely smart about politics and power
- Two-timeline structure keeps the mystery humming
- Strong, grounded art from Tony Harris
Cons
- Dialogue-heavy; light on conventional action
- The 9/11 framing won’t be for every reader
- The ending divides fans (we think it fits)
How it compares to other BKV books
Vaughan is one of the best writers in comics, and Ex Machina is the most overlooked of his big three creator-driven works. Here’s how they line up.
| Series | Genre | Length | Approx. binge price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ex Machina | Political sci-fi | 50 issues (complete) | ~US$50 (deluxe) |
| Y: The Last Man | Post-apocalyptic | 60 issues (complete) | ~US$60 |
| Saga | Space opera | Ongoing | ~US$60 (compendium) |
If this is your first Vaughan book, our Saga review and Y: The Last Man review are the natural next stops, and it earns a spot on our best sci-fi graphic novels list.
Which edition should you buy?
Because it’s finished, you can plan your whole read from the start.
| Edition | Collects | Approx. price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single volumes (1–10) | ~5 issues each | ~US$13 each | Trying it out |
| Deluxe hardcovers (Books 1–5) | ~10 issues each | ~US$25 each | Committed readers |
| Complete/compendium sets | The full run | ~US$50+ | Best value binge |
Is it a good place to start?
Yes. It requires zero shared-universe knowledge, it’s self-contained, and its grounded tone makes it very approachable for readers who like prestige TV more than capes. The dialogue-forward pacing is the only real filter. If that appeals, this is one of the most rewarding complete runs you can pick up — and it slots neatly among the great finished series in our best comic book runs guide.
The verdict
Ex Machina is proof that a “high concept” can be a doorway rather than a gimmick. Vaughan uses a superhero premise to write one of comics’ smartest dramas about the actual work of power, and Harris grounds it beautifully. It’s complete, it’s collected, and it’s overdue for rediscovery — a highlight of our Indie hub.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ex Machina finished?
Yes. It ran a planned 50 issues from 2004 to 2010 and has a definitive ending — one complete story, fully collected.
Do I need to read other WildStorm or DC comics first?
No. It’s entirely self-contained with its own characters and world. No prior reading required.
Is Ex Machina more sci-fi or political drama?
Both, but the emphasis is on the political drama. The sci-fi mystery of Hundred’s powers runs underneath a story mostly about governing New York.
How does it compare to Saga and Y: The Last Man?
It’s the talkiest and most grounded of Vaughan’s big three. Fans of his character work will love it; readers wanting more action might prefer Y: The Last Man first.
Keep exploring smart sci-fi in our best sci-fi graphic novels guide or browse the Indie hub.
